Pick a player from each other 6 nations team for your own

First topic message reminder :

Bored in work, waiting for Welsh Squad to be announced so I thought I'd start a new topic

Pick a player from each other 6 nations team for your own - e.g I support Wales so I'll pick a player from England,Ireland,Scotland,Italy,France I wouldnt mind in the Welsh line up.

My selections might not be spot on, more interested in other people's opinion's really

England - Ben Morgan

Ireland - Our back row will do fine I think so I'll go with Bowe to accompany Mr George North

Scotland - Shingler Oops... Hmm... I like Duncan Weir - good solid fly half but would go with Gray to cover our Lock crisis

France - Probably Harinordoquy. Enough said

Italy - Sergio Parisse

Oh definitely Florian Fritz, Yannick Jauzion, David Marty, Aurelien Rougerie- any French centre.

Would also take Manu Tuilagi, Morgan Parra, Dmitri Yachvilli, and various props from France.

Almost all of the players I would take would be from France. In terms of quality of players, they are well ahead of England, Scotland, Wales and Italy.

Reserve Prop and centre are the only areas Ireland are lacking in. Everywhere else we have players as good or better as everyone else (save France).

On paper, it should be Ireland and France every year when you look at the Heineken Cup and the squad lists. It just goes to show what a difference coaching makes.

Not what this thread is about , the topic is quite clear

Wales - Warburton
Ireland - Sexton
Scotland - Grey
France - Dusitiour
Italy - Parisse

Aye, but I'm subverting it. I don't play by your rules!

Honestly not a player from Scotland, Wales or Italy I'd take. Not that all our players are miles better by any means. But there are very few in any position clearly better than who we have in our first XV.

Maybe Jamie Roberts (albeit not based on his very average club form). Tuilagi I'd have ahead of him. And then Richie Gray, who is going to be a special player.

So I can say

England= Manu Tuilagi
France= Dmitri Yachvilli
Scotland= Richie Gray

Then no-one from Wales and Italy. I'm hoping I'll get a lot of indignant Welshmen on my fishing hook now, because thats always a good laugh, but the truth is if anyone takes offence at that they are looking in the wrong place. It doesn't matter how good individual players are.

It's how well coached they are, how they complement each others strengths and weaknesses- in other words how good a team they are.

Interesting as an England fan to see a few other nations going for Cole. I can be critical of him, mainly for not doing enough in the loose but I forget he is only 24 and not anywhere near the peak age for a tight head yet, so much potential. Bit like how some Welsh look for alternatives to Roberts I guess forgetting how good he actually is.

B9,

Its interesting that you mention Cole not doing much in the loose, for me a prop (loose or tight) has to do his day job first and anything else is a bonus.

We have two props in Wales who are very good in the loose (Rhys Thomas and Scott Andrews) BUT they scrummaging (day job) is very poor.

I would rather have a t/head who can scrummage all day long and scrummage his oppoment into ground but does little in the loose to one who can scrummage ok but his good around the park.

I agree 100% bedfordwelsh. I think he is the best tight head available to England by some distance because he is so solid in the set piece and guess I am just greedy in wanting him to use his size to good effect in the loose. He was outstanding against Wasps the week before last when he carried like a man possessed so I know he can do it. FKaS told me he used to be a number 8 in age grade rugby so he should have the ability from his youth days.

I rate Hartley for the same reasons. His primary jobs are to scrummage and throw and he is top class in both of these area's (Saints have the most successful line out in the prem so far this season). Again anything else he does is a bonus (or negative when he gives away penalties!).

Notch wrote:Aye, but I'm subverting it. I don't play by your rules!

Honestly not a player from Scotland, Wales or Italy I'd take. Not that all our players are miles better by any means. But there are very few in any position clearly better than who we have in our first XV.

Maybe Jamie Roberts (albeit not based on his very average club form). Tuilagi I'd have ahead of him. And then Richie Gray, who is going to be a special player.

So I can say

England= Manu Tuilagi
France= Dmitri Yachvilli
Scotland= Richie Gray

Then no-one from Wales and Italy. I'm hoping I'll get a lot of indignant Welshmen on my fishing hook now, because thats always a good laugh, but the truth is if anyone takes offence at that they are looking in the wrong place. It doesn't matter how good individual players are.

It's how well coached they are, how they complement each others strengths and weaknesses- in other words how good a team they are.

That's Ireland screwed then , Kidney will Munster them to death.

For Wales

Scotland - Gray
England - Foden
Ireland - Ferris
France - Yachvili
Italy - Castrogiovani

England

1. Gethin Jenkins
2. Dylan Hartley
3. Dan Cole
4. Courtney Lawes
5. Richie Gray
6. Tom Croft
7. Tom Wood
8. Sergio Parisse
9. Ben Youngs
10. Jonathan Sexton
11. Chris Ashton
12. Owen Farrell
13. Manu Tuilagi
14. Vincent Clerc
15. Ben Foden

munkian wrote:

That's Ireland screwed then , Kidney will Munster them to death.

Beginning to think you might be right there.

nice thread
so for france, I'll start by picking positions where we lack depth :
- 10 : too little choice behind trinh duc who can also be inconsistent so SEXTON it is.
- props : no real TH backup and Mas aint getting younger so Castrogionani would fit nicely. Our looseheads are ok but not close to an in-form Gethin Jenkins.

would also be great to see GRAY (or hines) along Pape and FODEN in the back 3






-

Whocares- There's very little age difference between Mas and Castro. I don't understand a lot of peoples' choices on here, there's a lot of selections of older players where a much younger player with potential to be bigger than the older one.

Looseheaded wrote:Whocares- There's very little age difference between Mas and Castro. I don't understand a lot of peoples' choices on here, there's a lot of selections of older players where a much younger player with potential to be bigger than the older one.

that's true - however I always thought that it takes usually more time for a prop to mature into a worldclass player (as opposed to other positions). didnt think the aim was to select young players as well..

Parisse
Tuilagi
Bowe
Dusatoir
Gray

1.T Domingo
2. D Hartley
3. D Cole
4. C Lawes
5. R Gray
6. S Ferris
7. T Wood
8. B Morgan
9. M Bergamasco
10. C Hodgson
11. C Sharples
12. J Roberts
13. M Tuilagi
14. C Ashton
15. B Foden

Ok so from Italy i'd probably go for Parisse instead, but with Ben Youngs' form so far and Joe Simpson's displays for Wasps, im starting to wonder...

01 Cian Healy
02 Rory Best
03 Nicholas Mas

04 Richie Grey
05 Paul O'Connell

06 Stephen Ferris
07 Sean O'Brien
08 Sergio Parisse

11 Luke Fitzgerald
12 Jonathan Davies
13 Manu Tuilagi
14 Andrew Trimble
15 Rob Kearney

Its interesting that you mention Cole not doing much in the loose, for me a prop (loose or tight) has to do his day job first and anything else is a bonus.

Same as Flanker Tyre and his mention of Croft. There are certain positions that all the nations are fairly well stocked in and that is generally tighthead (Cole, Murray, Castro, Mas, Ross, Jones) and blindside flanker (Croft/Robshaw, Ferris, Nyanga/Pierre, Zanni, Brown, Lydiate). Yet if you were picking squads I bet that would change.

6) Ferris
7) SOB
8) Picamoles

Now, if Ireland produced a player like Picamoles, we would surely have the best backrow in the world.

Its still up there with Heaslip in it!

England - Foden
Scotland - Gray
Ireland - POC
France - Yachvilli or Parra
Italy - Micro Bergamasco.

Glas a du wrote:England - Foden
Scotland - Gray
Ireland - POC
France - Yachvilli or Parra
Italy - Micro Bergamasco.

Bergamasco hasnt even made the Italian squad has he?

Who will be taking the kicks? - Im guessing that Burton will have to start at 10 to take them

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Scottish Fan so here goes :

1. Jacobson
2. Ford
3. Murray
4. Gray
5. Hamilton
6. Brown
7. Rennie
8. Denton

9. Laidlaw
10. Sexton (IRE)
11. Lamont
12. Roberts (WAL)
13. Canale (ITA)
14. Medard (FRA)
15. Foden (ENG)

Kind of a Damning appraisal of our backs at Scotland when I would pick all backs for my team......

Radge - I'm damn sure that this team would win a few games.

Scotland: irrespective of current fitness

France - Maxime Mermoz
Italy - Sergio Parisse
England - Ben Foden
Ireland - Tommy Bowe
Wales - Gethin Jenkins

1.Corbisiero
2. Servat (France)
3.Cole
4.Lawes
5.Gray (Scotland)
6.Sean O Brien (Ireland)
7.Warburton (Wales)
8.Parisse (Italy)
9.Youngs
10.Hodgson
11.Strettle
12.Barritt
13.Tuilagi
14.Ashton
15.Foden

Beshocked
Interestingly, we picked only one player in common (Parisse), but covered 4 of the 5 same positions (I had Roberts at 12 rather than one of the flankers).
Suggests a couple of things:
1 - England's pack isn't currently all that good.
2 - There are quite a few player options where our opponents are better than us.

Very true dummy half. It does show a lack of confidence in the England side.

The reason why I picked the team I did.

I am unsure about Hartley's form. Servat would give some much needed grunt and experience in the frontrow.

Richie Gray would be the perfect partner with Lawes.

The backrow choices I went for would be scary. They would guarantee good ball for the backs.

1 - England's pack isn't currently all that good

I think there is just a lack of confidence in it following the defeat to Ireland in the 6N and then the dodgey RWC performances.

Servat is a superb player, but edged by Du Plessis for the best in the world at the moment for me. I went with Domingo, as Corbisiero has been awful of late and was never that good in my opinion anyway.

bedfordwelsh wrote:I would rather have a t/head who can scrummage all day long and scrummage his oppoment into ground but does little in the loose to one who can scrummage ok but his good around the park.

Fair point but it's rarely as black and white as that.

Cole is actually underrated in the loose anyway, he just has one of those unnatural running styles which makes him look uncomfortable with the ball in hand.